VANCOUVER—After three days of exhilarating performances of classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun Performing Arts wrapped up its 4-show run at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 18.
Vancouver was the only Western Canadian city this year with the fortune to host Shen Yun, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.
Audience members from all walks of life, and indeed different parts of Western Canada, came to see Shen Yun, leaving the show elevated and uplifted.
Sarah Lee, a professional Korean dancer who herself has performed at the Queen Elizabeth, said she loved Shen Yun’s depiction of ancient Chinese culture through music and dance.
“Very beautiful. I like this show, it’s amazing, spectacular. It’s a really beautiful show,” said Ms. Lee.
Huu-ay-aht First Nations council member Tom Happynook admired the storylines in Shen Yun and the journey through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.
“The way that the show was presented—taking us through time—I thought it was a good way to present the cultural dancing of China,” Mr. Happynook said.
For Clive Ansley, a B.C.-based lawyer who has practiced many years in China, this was the fifth Shen Yun experience.
“It’s the event of the year for us,” Mr. Ansley said. “We always look forward to it every year, and I think the thing that impresses me most is that it’s never the same show twice; there’s new routines all the time.”
Professional photographer Eugenia Filippova was moved to tears by Shen Yun.
“The traditional dances took me away completely. It’s so emotion-filled, and it’s so elegant and beautiful, and made me cry,” she said.
Mark Orme, an accomplished motion picture visual effects artist who has worked on major Hollywood productions, found Shen Yun to be an inspirational performance.
“The costumes are wonderful, the performers are extremely talented, and the history is just magnificent, all of the stories.”
After the last performance, the emcees promised that Shen Yun will be back next year with all-new programming once again.
